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Much has been made in recent weeks about the Eurozone troubles and the spillover into China. It’s nice to put things into context in order to understand the global effect here and see just how much the European weakness is hurting China.

US Funds recently posted a nice summary of the impact. As you can see, Europe makes up China’s largest trade partner contrary to the belief that the USA is China’s largest trade partner. Clearly, the impact is being felt. Here’s more via US Funds:

“Today, the J.P. Morgan Global PMI for May came in lower at 50.6—just above the level indicating expansion—and China’s HSBC Manufacturing PMI fell to 48.4. Both numbers were below their respective three-month moving averages. Historically, we’ve seen China’s PMI number leading the year-over-year change in exports by three to four months, so when the PMI has increased, a few months later, Chinese exports have historically risen, and vice versa.

China’s HSBC PMI tends to be more reflective of export demand, as it is compiled by private parties, covers a smaller survey sample and is weighted toward smaller businesses. Therefore, a lower PMI number indicates lower export demand.

With Europe's growth in a deep freeze, China is feeling the pain. While many think the U.S. is receiving most of the Chinese-made goods, Europe is actually China’s largest export partner. Nearly 22 percent of China’s exports head to Europe, contributing nearly 6 percent to China’s GDP; only 17 percent of exports from China are shipped to the U.S.”